The glass tiles, of which there are four different styles, look almost identical to conventional roof tiles, making them the sleeker evolution of the bulky solar panel that has become a hallmark of energy-efficient living. Despite their quartz glass composition, the tiles are apparently both stronger than and approximate the look of traditional materials like clay and slate.

“Musk said the secret to the tiles’ appearance is a special coating that becomes more or less see-through depending on your viewing angle,” Wired reported. “He described it as a series of micro louvers that work like a privacy screen on a laptop, and said the company is working with 3M on the technology.”

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“The effect is dramatic in person. From shallow angles, the tiles appear nontransparent. But as your viewing angle approaches 90 degrees, the underlying solar cell becomes more and more visible. The result is a tile that permits the passage of sunlight from overhead, but still looks opaque to anyone at ground level.”

Tesla’s innovation is meant to offer a more attractive, accessible and enticing solar roof. “It needs to be beautiful, affordable, and seamlessly integrated,” Musk said. “If all of those things are true, why would you go any other direction?”

Pricing, availability and installation details are yet to be disclosed, although the solar roof tiles are intended to work in tandem with the Tesla Powerwall, a home battery system for which Musk also revealed a newer, thinner version on Friday. Both systems are part of Tesla’s planned merge with SolarCity.